Computers were developed to aid people with repetitive tasks that were deemed to be extremely time consuming. Most of the early computers were used for complex mathematical problem solving. The first computing machines were extremely large compared to computers utilized today. Despite their enormous size, the early machines had vastly less computing power than today's machines. Generally speaking, the sizes of computing devices were driven by the sizes of the existing electronic components of that era. This meant that only large research facilities or big businesses could employ computing machines. As new technology allowed for smaller electronic devices to be developed, computing devices also diminished in size. Although still lacking in power by today's standards, the size of the computing machine was reduced enough that it could be placed on a typical desk. Thus, the “desktop computer” was born. This allowed users to have computing technology available in locations other than a central computing building. People found that having the capability to utilize computing technology at their work desk, rather than submitting computing problems to a central location, made them much more productive at their jobs. Eventually, the idea of moving the desktop computer to the home environment to provide even more convenience for doing work became a reality. However, a challenge still existed for accessing information from one's work computer from their laptop from a remote location.
Technology came to the rescue with a first attempt at connecting these computers utilizing telephonic modern technology. This permitted individual users to connect via direct dial-up telephone connections. This was great for local telephone calls, but enormously expensive for long distance calls. However, with the advent of the Internet, all that has changed. It provides an inexpensive means to connect computers from all over the world. As a result, not only has remote communication and access been improved but communication between any number of people has been made possible through electronic messaging such as electronic mail, instant messaging, and online chat programs.
Despite the substantial advances in devices and methods of accessing information, sharing information such as between two different computers continues to be difficult. This may be due in part to the large number of security measures businesses and individuals take to protect their files as well as their personal information from being shared with or accessed by other users. Consequently, current network file sharing techniques can be severely restricted.